What I Love

As I looked through my finished pages from my day scrappin' retreat I enjoyed with some great ladies from work last weekend, I was reminded about one of the things I love MOST about my hobby: even when I am away at a retreat, whether it be for a few hours or a whole weekend, I feel like I am with my family.

Even though I thoroughly enjoy my "me" time, and very much enjoy the company and comraderie of my fellow crafters, I am very appreciative that what I do for fun is also for my family. I love reliving the memories as I scrap a page, trying to recount the event highlights as I add my narrative. Very fulfulling!

These pages are of my daughter Chloe's book (which I am just starting even though she is almost 16 months old...when did that happen?) and also one of my favorite pictures of my son, Liam, taken at a zoo outing. The Grizzly never looked so good :)

If you can't see the theme, here is a hint: I LOVE MY CRICUT!! One of my FAVORITE fonts is Alphalicious...I use it on just about all of my pages. It is classic, and clean, and it seems to go with my style.

The tree is a layered shape from the Plantin' Schoolbook cartridge (such a great shape!). I did something very similar in my son's baby album, too. I loved having one special page to record his transition from infant, to toddler, to little boy, and now, almost to young man. I am looking forward to doing the same in Chloe's book. I didn't necessarily want to keep the apples that were also cut out from the cartridge, so I opted instead to add a modern flair with adorable rub-ons from Little Yellow Bicycle - I think the colors are just great! The butterfly paper is from DCWV. The zoo-themed paper from my son's page is from Karen Foster.

Here's to doing what you love, for the people that you love even more!

Home Is Where The Haunt Is

What happened to September?? It is now officially fall, and the leaves are even starting to fall from the trees, covering our deck, yard, and driveway. Um, I am not in the mindset to rake yet!

However, these are all sure signs that Halloween is just around the corner. I am looking forward to coming up with some cute Halloween card and treat box ideas for my monthly make and take class at work in a few weeks. In the mean time, here is a simple card using the retired Stampin' Up! Home Is Where the Haunt Is stamp set. I love this set because it has a lot of different elements that you can put together in different ways to make completely different scenes.

I used smooth orange Bazzill Basics cardstock from Archiver's and Basic Black Stampin' Up! cardstock for the base and belly band. Its finished size is 4"x5 1/2" (plus a 1" flap on which I rounded the corners). I was able to get three card bases out of one, 12x12 sheet. For the closure, I added two different-sized circles in black and orange, pierced with an orange brad. I used some thin, inexpensive black ribbon from Michaels to wrap around the circles and hold the flap closed (although, I think a thinner black string would work a little easier).

I wish you the best of luck with your ghoulish Halloween creations! Happy haunting :)

TGIF

Howdy!

So, despite being 3 hours post-root canal, I am SO happy it's Friday! And, I will take a root canal ANY day over tooth pain. Ouch!

Other than dealing with a sore tooth, I am excited for a day retreat tomorrow at Creative Escapes (http://www.creativeescapes-sc.com/) in St. Cloud, MN. The Stampin' & Scrappin' Club at work is hosting this one, so it should be a good time. It has been a while since I have had a good, long day to scrapbook, so I am hoping to get a lot accomplished!

We shall see ;)

The pictures are of the small "Thanks for coming!" goodie bags I made for the attendees. I found inexpensive Halloween stamps at Archivers, and some cute striped paper. I used an Archiver's coupon for some free solid cardstock that coordinated. I was able to make 8 goodie bags which each have enough makings for 3, 3x3 cards. All for just around $15. Hopefully my fellow scrappers will enjoy them!

Enjoy Life Sip by Sip

I am still in denial...is it really September already? Summer seemingly came to a screeching halt when school started on September 1st. But, I am not too disappointed as this means fall is right around the corner. And as autumn is my favorite season, I can't help but to welcome it (although, winter can take its time!)

But alas, time marches on! This is my September make-n-take project for the Stampin' & Scrappin' Club session coming up this Wednesday at work. I adapted the card from Heather Summers (StampWithHeather on YouTube, March 6, 2009). I LOVED the belly band idea...and despite needing to search a bit to get my hands on the Stampin' Up! Sip by Sip stamp set (which has since been put on the dormant list), all of the pieces came together.

I made only a few changes to her creative original design. Instead of stamping the dotted background, I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the brown cardstock. Also, to give the card a few round edges, I used a circle for the mug embellishment.

Now it looks like I need to move on to my October project...my goodness! Denial, indeed!

New

Well, I have finally gone and done it. Who will find their way here, I have no idea! But, in case someone wanders across my blog path, I am leaving a footprint.

My name is Angel. I am a 32-year-old wife and mother of two young children (Liam, 6 and Chloe, 15 months) - and I am a crafter; scrapbooking and cardmaking are my most favorite activities. Although, I have been known to attempt a stitch or two at a sewing machine, or throw down some paint. But for now, I like to play with paper, glue, and scissors.

It is important to note that I am obsessed with Harry Potter...and have recently been turned on to the Twilight series as well. I can't help it. It seems I am living vicariously through these young adult novels because sometimes the real world is just downright depressing.

I will be posting my monthly cards and projects that I demonstrate as part of the Stampin' & Scrappin' Club at work, as well as anything else I might find interesting. I have several sources of creative inspiration, from blogs to YouTube subscriptions, that I love to share with anyone who will listen (or read, as is the case here).

It will be an adventure, to be sure!

Enjoy! Thanks for stopping...And happy blogging :)